The Sentinels Too much sauce

When Deirdre spoke of tending her mother, Spur couldn't help but ask hopefully, "Is there a spell you can cast? To fix the broken bone?" She felt her cheeks flush a little after the words left her mouth. Her friend had already done so much for her. Surely she must be wearing on her patience, maybe even draining her powers. That thought sobered her into silence.

Deirdre filled it with proclamations of adoration that warmed Larkspur from the tips of her ears to the tips of her toes. Her brows arched when the fair witch mentioned becoming a queen someday. She was the friend of a princess? Although that word made her briefly recollect Amayo's ministrations on the beach, she flicked that thought aside. Deirdre was the genuine article, magical and royalty. That she wanted Spur with her was deeply flattering and almost made the younger girl want to cry with just how deeply affected she felt.

"Okay," she breathed. "After I check on my family..." Spur trailed off, her eyes seeking Deirdre's spring green gaze in the dim light of the tree's interior. She stared into them a beat, then declared quietly, "Then I'll stay here, with you, Deirdre." Her stomach flip-flopped and her heart danced in her throat, yet this nervousness was tinged with a radiant excitement and deep love and affection.